Stained Concrete fitting for Big-Box Retailer

One of Australias largest big-box retailers was suitably impressed with the results of the recent installation of stained concrete in a number of their new stores, completed by Transitions Polishing and Grinding.

Stained concrete is essentially a form of polished concrete with the addition of a translucent colour stain, applied on the final coat. As with polished concrete, you can choose between a mechanically polished and a coated system with varying degrees of aggregate exposure (high steel trowel, partial grind, 3/4 grind, full grind) and finishes (matte, gloss, satin, natural).

The Brief

First and foremost the functionality of this retailers floor was key. The chosen flooring solution had to be able to withstand a very high amount of foot traffic on a constant basis. Additionally, it would have stock loaded pallet jacks continuously pulled over, in which case it should not be easily damaged. Furthermore, the retailer expected that over time, there would be a significant amount of breakages and spillages; the floor must have the ability to withstand these whilst avoiding chipping and stains.

Functionality aside, another imperative requirement of the chosen retail floor was in relation to the visual aspect. It was essential to maintain a consistent brand image across all stores nationally for this retailer. The floor was required to present the same look and feel no matter what store a customer walked into. In order to achieve a guaranteed outcome, it needed to be fit for purpose.

The Solution

Stained concrete was the chosen flooring solution for this big-box retailer. It fulfilled the brief with absolute confidence.

In terms of functionality, stained concrete is tough enough to withstand a high traffic volume such as in the retail environment and still look great! Stock loaded pallet jacks, glass breakages and spills are no match for stained concrete. It has a high level of impact resistance, is easily cleaned and with use of the correct sealers, stains are not a worry.

Aesthetically, stained concrete was the ideal choice for this retailer. Due to their large span of stores around the country, guaranteeing the exact same look and feel, no matter the slab age (new, existing or a combination of both), cut outs and quality can be a hard task. The translucent stain applied with stained concrete overcomes this obstacle as it simply colours the cement, not the aggregate. So when the stain is applied to an existing slab that has cut outs, infills and damages, it covers all cement blemishes and creates a unified consistency and finish. This is also perfect in the scenario of tying in multiple slabs, as was the case with one of the stores of said retailer. One store in particular had three different slabs. Once the stain was applied, it created the appearance of one, seamless, blemish free slab of concrete. More on from this, a specific colour blend enables this retailer to ensure that each and every store opened Australia wide will continue a consistent brand image.

In the long term, stained concrete is a low maintenance floor. With a life expectancy of 10 years, it is fully serviceable and patchable to bring back to new again. Stained concrete is also UV stable and low VOC.